Former Dem Rep. Tom Suozzi Heroically Returns To Defeat Vampire Slayer George Santos
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Former Dem Rep. Tom Suozzi Heroically Returns To Defeat Vampire Slayer George Santos
It's a true clash of the titans.
Tom Suozzi wants his old job back. The former representative from New York’s third congressional district bailed on the House in 2022 and needlessly challenged incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul. It was his second resounding loss in a gubernatorial primary (his first was in 2006 to disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer).
Suozzi’s vacant seat was taken by Civil War hero George Santos, and the timing couldn’t be better for Suozzi to announce his comeback. Santos is facing multiple felony charges and is recovering from his recent traumatic alien abduction. He’s a survivor, our Georgie.
Declaring his intentions to run again, Suozzi released this statement last week:
“The madness in Washington, DC and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the United States Congress is obvious to everyone.”
“You know me. I’ve never sat on the sidelines. From the cost-of-living to immigration, crime, climate change, combating terrorism in the Middle East and globally, and simply helping people, we need more common sense and compassion and less chaos and senseless fighting.”
Obviously, Suozzi is a vast improvement over Santos and preferable to any other Republican, but he did sit on the sidelines when it mattered. He was one of several Democrats who ran scared from the “red wave” that never materialized. This includes fellow centrists Kathleen Rice in New York’s fourth district, which Republican Anthony D’Esposito flipped in an upset, and Stephanie Murphy in Florida’s seventh district, where Republican Cory Mills defeated unknown Democrat Karen Green (poor lady still only has 566 Xitter followers). Wes Hodge, the Orlando Democratic Party chair, said the 45-year-old Murphy’s retirement was a “surprise for us and disappointing for us and disappointing because she's been a great advocate for us here in Florida, as well as all of her work on the January 6 committee.”
Rep. Ron Kind left Wisconsin’s third district in the profane hands of Republican Derrick van Orden. The number of Democratic retirements exceeded those in 2010. Hey, look, we’re sure everyone had their reasons. Former Tennessee House Democrat Bart Gordon, who retired in advance of that “shellacking,” explained last year:
“If you’re a [retiring] Democrat, one of the elements you’re thinking about, is that it may be a bad year. But you don’t go through hard elections and all the fundraising and the time away from your family and just throw up your hands and say, ‘It’s going to be a bad election.’ It’s a combination of a variety of things.”
A major factor is that it sucks to serve in the minority, where you have fewer opportunities to advance meaningful legislation, especially when the new Republican majority is a bunch of far-right extremists who are incapable of productive governance. However, the record-setting number of retirements helped fuel the (false) “red wave” narrative, and Republicans actively fundraised and campaigned on the premise that the Democratic majority was doomed.
After January 6 and the Republican party’s increasing radicalization, I wish more of these incumbents, even in redrawn districts, had stood their ground and fought against what seemed like overwhelming odds. Yes, damnit, I wanted the last scene from “Angel,” which did not involve our heroes leaving for safe jobs in the private sector.
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Former Dem Rep. Tom Suozzi Heroically Returns To Defeat Vampire Slayer George Santos
Jake Sherman from Punchbowl News just opined that Jim Jordan will win the Speakership tomorrow.
I sure hope he's wrong.
But George Santos is the lost 7th Cylon!